Madhuri Dixit Nene, 2017

Madhuri Dixit Nene, 2017

Madhuri Dixit Nene, 2017

49 / 50

Madhuri Dixit Nene, 2017

Image: Instagram.com/makeupbylekha

Madhuri Dixit Nene, 2017

50 / 50

Madhuri Dixit Nene, 2017

Image: Instagram.com/madhuridixitnene

Madhuri Dixit Nene, 2017

The secret to Madhuri Dixit’s success doesn’t lie in the fact that she stepped into the industry at the age of 17, looking like a photographer’s dream. Her legacy can instead be credited to the fact that, three decades down the line, she has managed to retain her joie de vivre, lighting up the frame each time she steps in front of the lens.

With her lush halo of curls, Dixit made her debut as a young bride in Abodh (1984), before eventually making it big with Tezaab (1988). She continued to exercise her acting chops with a string of critical and commercial successes, including Khalnayak (1993), Hum Aapke Hai Koun..! (1994) and Dil Toh Pagal Hai (1997). After pocketing a Filmfare Best Supporting Actress trophy for her portrayal of the scorned Chandramukhi in Devdas (2002), she took a hiatus from the big screen to move to Denver with her husband, Sriram Nene and two sons. 2007 saw her returning to the big screen with Aaja Nachle, and she booked a berth on the judging panel of the dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhla Jaa in 2011. She couldn’t be kept away from the silver screen for long though, and returned with two critically-acclaimed projects in 2014—Dedh Ishqiya and Gulaab Gang. As she continues to reinvent herself in her 50s, here’s tracking India’s golden girl’s beauty journey over the decades.

The golden years
Defined by her voluminous mane and lit-from-within glow, Dixit quickly escalated from shy debutante to the country’s sweetheart. As the nineties wore on, her bushy curls found themselves styled into easy waves, while her lipstick kit graduated from natural hues to loud-and-proud frosted lippies. 2010 and 2011 had her maintaining her fidelity to her curls, with the addition of a side-swept fringe. While the length of her tresses clocks in at a steady below-the-shoulder, we found her routinely opting for elaborate updos to shake things up in 2013. The promotion runs of her comeback vehicle, Dedh Ishqiya (2014) had her spinning the colour wheel in favour of vivid tones—think tangerine and fire engine red.

Second act
Living up to her credentials as the nation’s favourite poster girl, Dixit showed up at an awards function in 2015 with a princess-perfect ballgown and a voluminous hairdo, finished off with an assured swipe of crimson on her lips. Lending her might to the adage that age is but a number, she proceeded to rewrite the rulebook over the next two years by debuting everything from slicked back hair and vamp lips to acid-pink pouts and poker-straight locks. She was last seen having the time of her life at the red carpet of a recently concluded awards show sporting minimal eye makeup, defined waves and a red matte pout.

The main takeaway here? The next time you find yourself rethinking your beauty choices, look to the fifty-and-fabulous Dixit who’ll pull off marsala lips and a Kardashian-approved contour job faster than you can say ‘age appropriate’.

Flip through the gallery above to follow her beauty evolution from the beginning.